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The Odds of Your Flight Being Delayed At Each North Carolina Airport

By Melanie Day

It almost seems inevitable these days that if you fly you’ll have to deal with some sort of delays. But what are the true odds of your flight being delayed when flying in a North Carolina airport? I’ve flown for three trips (or six total flights) so far in 2023 and on the return trip of two of those my flight was delayed. And not just once, but several times over the course of a few hours. And unfortunately both times I had already arrived at the airport, so I couldn’t even enjoy the extra time on my vacation. That part may very well be what irritated me the most. Especially when I could have been at Disney World. The someone ironic part of this story? Both delays were flying out of different Florida airports. My family has since banned me from flying to Florida. Not sure I’ll listen though!

North Carolina Airports

There are 10 airports in North Carolina that service commercial passengers. And ahead of National Aviation Day, August 19th, researchers at BetCarolina decided to calculate the odds of your flight getting delayed at each of those airports. And it’s not your imagination, those odds are increasing over time. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that the percentage of delayed flights in 2018 was 17.3%, and it now sits at 21.6% in 2023.

What are we considering a “delayed flight”? A flight that arrived or departed from the gate 15 minutes or more after the scheduled arrival or departure. And you may be surprised to learn that the odds of your flight being delayed is not the greatest at the largest North Carolina airport. No, I’ll spoil it now. Charlotte Douglas International Airport did not have the highest percentage of delays. Instead, a regional airport did. But CLT was close to the worst. Keep reading to see what your odds of your flight being delayed at each North Carolina airport are. And you’ll learn a little about the destinations each airport serves. Another interesting statistic- overall if you are flying from anywhere in NC you have a 22.5% chance that the flight will be late.

  • 10. Piedmont Triad International

    Located just outside of Greensboro you’ll find Piedmont Triad International Airport. And if you’re looking to get on your way on time, it’s your best bet in the state. Just 12.95% of flights have been delayed this year. And your odds? Just 1 in 7.72. Still, for the best odds in the state, those are pretty high! Piedmont Triad offers non-stop flights to destinations such as Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and Nashville. Get more info on flying out of PTI here.

  • 9. Albert J Ellis

    If like me you’ve never heard of Albert J Ellis, it serves Jacksonville, NC and the Marine Corps base of Camp Lejune. Just 13.84% of flights get delayed which gives you odds of 1 in 7.42. Though only offering direct flights to Atlanta and Charlotte on American Airlines and Delta, you probably won’t benefit too much from driving to fly out of Albert J Ellis. Unless of course one of those two cities is your destination. Learn more here.

  • 8. Pitt Greenville

    Pitt Greenville Airport serves the region of its namesake Greenville, NC. Your odds of being delayed flying out of PGV are 1 in 7.33 with only 13.64% of flights being delayed. This is perhaps because the airport mostly serves private planes. The only destination you can reach from Greenville is Charlotte to catch another flight. Learn more about Pitt Greenville Airport here.

  • 7. Coastal Carolina Regional

    Located in New Bern North Carolina and serving the area known as the Crystal Coast is Coastal Carolina Regional. 14.12% of flights out of EWN, with odds of 1 in 7.08 your flight will be delayed. Six daily flights on American Airlines take travelers to Charlotte where they can connect to a plethora of destinations. There is also a Saturday flight to Washington, DC. Interested in flying out of EWN? Get info here.

  • 6. Wilmington International

    Wilmington gives you the most destinations for the best odds of not being delayed. Your odds here are 1 in 7.01 with 14.27% of flights being delayed. And you can fly direct to 17 destinations including Chicago, Boston, New York, Dallas, Orlando, and more. Additionally, flights are available on 5 airlines. See all the flights available out of Wilmington here.

  • 5, Asheville Regional

    If you’re departing from the opposite end of the state via Asheville, your odds of being delayed are 1 in 6.27 with 15.95% of flights being delayed. Several airlines including Delta, American, Allegiant, Jet Blue, and United operate flights out of Asheville. Destinations include Atlanta, Austin, Key West, Orlando, New York, and more. Get all the info here.

  • 4. Fayetteville Regional/Grannis Field

    Flying out of Fayetteville you can choose one of 3 destinations for non-stop daily flights- Charlotte, Atlanta, and Dallas/Fort Worth. Though with odds of 1 in 5.83 and 17.23% of flights being delayed, you may just want to fly out of another coastal regional airport or just make the drive to Raleigh. Find out more about Fayetteville Regional Airport here.

  • 3. Raleigh-Durham International

    The only North Carolina Airport I’ve flown out of other than Charlotte is RDU. And for having a much smaller footprint (though still numerous destinations), they aren’t much better for delays than the state’s largest airport. 17.23% of flights have been delayed giving travelers 1 in 5.8 odds of getting to their destination late. RDU offers the second-largest variety of flights outside of CLT, learn about those here.

  • 2. Charlotte Douglas International

    Yes, it’s really true Charlotte does not have the highest percentage of flights delayed in the state. I know that’s difficult to believe especially considering it’s one of the busiest airports in the country. The American Airlines hub has less than 20%- 19.35% of flights delayed. That’s still not good odds though! It translates to a 1 in 5.17 chance you won’t depart on time. Find out more about flights out of Charlotte here.

  • 1. Concord Padgett Regional

    It’s actually Concord Padgett Regional that will give you the highest chance of your flight being delayed in North Carolina. A large 28.4% of flights are delayed with travelers having a 1 in 3.5 chance of being delayed. Ouch. Only one Airline operates out of Concord and it’s Allegiant. So chances are you may not experience these delays. I’ll take my chances at CLT Douglas instead. You can get more info on the Concord Airport here.

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